Understanding Love
by minixoxmya
Summary: It only takes one moment to make you realize, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Written for theme six of the ZAAngels write off!


**Understanding Love**

**So this is my entry for theme six of the ZAAngels write off. Had a minor setback in the shape of a nasty laptop virus but I am back again thanks to the very helpful man that fixed my laptop and saved the day just in time to get this entry in! Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to vote when the poll opens!**

~TG~

Troy Bolton always liked to think he didn't take life too seriously. It was an attribute that many admired in him; his ability to brush things off and move on was something many around him struggled to be able to do.

But there were many people in his life who wished that, at twenty three years old; he would start to become more serious about the future. No one person wished for this more than Troy's girlfriend of six years, Gabriella Montez.

Throughout their relationship, Troy's relaxed approach to life had almost broken them up on many occasions. Most notably was when Troy had fallen asleep at ceremony to mark Gabriella's achievements in her sophomore year of college. Most women would have dumped him right there and then, many of Gabriella's friends told her that she should, but rather than making such a rash decision Gabriella chose to ignore Troy at all costs for three solid weeks.

Time hadn't changed this trait in Troy, every once in a while his relaxed nature caused Gabriella to become more than frustrated with the man she knew she loved more than anything.

The events of three weeks ago had been no different.

Troy had played in one of the biggest college basketball games of the year. The Los Angeles Staples Centre had completely sold out to watch UC Berkeley play UCLA in the college ball championship final game. After a tense game that saw both teams scoring equal points, UC Berkeley scraped through to win the championships by just three points.

Gabriella had been so disappointed that she had been unable to make it, she tried her hardest to always attend Troy's games but this time exams had gotten in the way. It was in the final minutes of the live coverage however, that she began to wish she hadn't watched at all.

Atlanta Grossman was head cheerleader at UC Berkeley. Reminiscent of a less stage orientated Sharpay Evens; she had tried her very hardest to steal Troy away from Gabriella. On numerous occasions she had lectured Gabriella about how essential it was that head cheerleader and basketball captain be seen together at all public events.

Troy being Troy he had brushed the whole situation off as nothing, he had tried very hard to convince Gabriella that Atlanta meant no harm and would never succeed in her efforts to become his girlfriend. However Gabriella wasn't so convinced, she had spent all of her high school years battling against Sharpay, there was no way she was going to spend college doing the same.

It was at the end of the championship game against UCLA that, for the first time, Gabriella realized that no matter how hard she fought against Atlanta, Troy's laid back character made him vulnerable to devious slutty cheerleaders.

As soon as that final buzzer sounded; Atlanta flung herself into Troy's arms, wrapping her arms around Troy's neck, her legs tightly around his waist and pressing a kiss firmly against Troy's lips. Deep down in Gabriella's heart she knew it would have meant nothing to Troy, but her brain told her that Troy should have pulled away…why hadn't he pulled away?

The hours that followed were filled with phone calls from Troy telling Gabriella she had nothing to worry about and stating that he didn't know why she was getting so worked up. It was this that aggravated Gabriella more than the actual event, she just wanted Troy to understand that not everybody saw the world the way he did.

Gabriella never dealt with troubling situations well; it was for this reason that when Troy returned home from his game, there was a note from Gabriella neatly placed on their dining room table that stated she would be staying with her parents in Albuquerque for a while.

That had been two weeks ago, the only word he had had from her was a quick text to let him know she had landed safely…she might have been mad at him but she knew and respected how much he worried about her.

Two weeks had passed slowly, school and basketball had kept him busy but still he found himself missing Gabriella. Settling himself down on the couch, his mind couldn't help but wonder when Gabriella would be home and back in his arms.

It was then that his cell phone began to vibrate loudly against the coffee table. Troy was shocked when he saw Gabriella's smiling face flashing on the screen; normally Gabriella didn't call, she could just return home with a clear head and they would move on….something wasn't right.

"Ella?" Troy asked curiously as he answered the phone, trying very hard to listen for background noise that could give him some insight into her location.

The only noise that Troy could make out was the sound of Gabriella's rapid breaths and desperate sobs. He hoped to god that she was okay; the idea of losing her after such a ridiculous argument frightened him more than he ever imagined it would.

"I'm so scared Troy!" Gabriella's sobs finally turned into hushed whispers as forced out the words from her mouth. Fear was rippling through her body and she had no idea what the future and fate would hold for her.

Troy felt the sudden urge to vomit; nothing else in the world seemed to matter except for getting to Gabriella and saving her from whatever hell she was living. He had to know what was happening to her; being out of control had always been something Troy has struggled with, this moment was doing nothing to change that.

"Gabriella, what's going on? Where are you?" Troy asked frantically, already pulling on his jeans and shoes in preparation for leaving the comfort of their home and driving to wherever she was.

Gabriella's shaky rapid breaths continued, Troy could tell that she was hyperventilating and the noise of others around her doing the same didn't assist Troy is working out exactly where she was. It was until she heard a polite voice of a woman informing people to remain in their seats that Troy realized…she was on a plane.

There was no possible situation that Troy's mind created that ended well. Gabriella was thousands of feet above the earth, terrified for her life….nothing about the situation even suggested there might be a positive outcome.

"The engine is on fire Troy! I can see it…oh god! I wish I hadn't left, I love you so much!" Gabriella's sobs continued as she attempted to string coherent sentences together. She was cursing herself for picking the seat she was sat in, she never picked a window seat but this time she had fancied a change, this was why she hated change.

She was more than one hundred percent sure that she was going to die; watching as fire shot out of the engine and knowing that they still had miles to go before they were safely on the ground, prevented her scientific mind for allowing her to think positively.

"I love you too sweetheart, so much! But you know what; everything is going to be okay." Even Troy wasn't sure of the words he was speaking; he was usually an optimistic man, but all he could think of was that the was the first time in his life where losing Gabriella forever was a distinct possibility.

Gabriella took a deep breath as she let Troy's words sink in; she tried really hard to believe him but all she could think about was the possibility that this may be the last time she ever heard Troy's voice.

Fresh tears began to run down her face, she had never felt more alone or more scared in her entire life.

Suddenly the voice of the captain came over the loud speaker.

"_Please try to remain calm, we are diverting to Las Vegas and I expect to be on the ground in ten minutes." _

A small amount of relief began to make its way into Troy's mind, ten minutes was really no time at all. In ten minutes he would know for sure whether his Gabriella would be safe with her feet firmly planted on the ground.

"I can't get back on another plane Troy!" Troy hadn't considered the fear that would now be present within Gabriella forever. She was a seasoned flier and had never had any problems with flying, but this experience was to change that.

He considered his options for a moment; he didn't have to go to work tomorrow, he had a car with a full tank of gas and a girlfriend that would soon be stuck in Vegas. It didn't take him long to conclude what he had to do.

"Don't panic about that Baby, I'm getting in the car right now. I'll be there as soon as I can okay? Just stay in the airport, find somewhere comfortable, don't move and don't talk to anybody. I'll be there." Troy spoke calmly as he pulled on a pair of work out pants, a t-shirt and a hoodie.

"I love you so much; please don't ever think that I don't, because I do I really do. I've missed you so much and I'm never going to leave again!" Gabriella's words remained frantic as she felt the plane decent towards Las Vegas, the only comfort that she took from the whole experience was knowing that at least the pilot seemed to know what he was doing.

Those were the last words she managed to say to Troy before an air steward informed her she needed to switch off her cell phone. The seatbelt sign had been on for what seemed like forever, but it was now that the plane was moving towards the airport that people started to take notice.

The next ten minutes would determine their fate….all they could do was hope.

~TG~

The drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas was long…any normal person would stop half way for a rest but Troy knew he needed to keep going.

His mind was awash with millions of thoughts; he wondered whether Gabriella had landed safely, he wondered if she had found somewhere comfortable to sit and rest while he made the long journey to find her and he considered how much this whole experience had increased his love for her.

He had never been a believer of the term 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', but he knew that when he finally found her, he would feel love for her more than he ever had before. If for no other reason, than he realized how fragile life really was.

If there was one thing he was thankful for as he made his way down the highway towards Las Vegas, was that for the whole trip there hadn't been a single state trooper patrolling the highway. A drive that would take an average person over ten hours had only taken Troy just over seven. He wasn't sure how fast he had driven but he was sure it would have been fast enough for a huge very expensive ticket.

The big lights of the city seemed to blind his tired eyes and he rounded the corner and followed the signs for the airport. He was exhausted but his intense need to find Gabriella safe was driving him to continue.

He didn't care where he parked his car or whether he got a ticket; he pulled into the nearest space, dashing out of the car and heading into the terminal building.

"Gabriella!" He shouted loudly as he entered the building, not caring how many people around him looked and stared as if he was a mad man on the loose. All that mattered to him was finding Gabriella and having her back in his arms.

He ran through the arrivals hall calling her name loudly, he had absolutely no idea where she was so in his mind it was essential that he search every corner of the airport to find her.

People stopped and stared as he ran around the airport frantically, it seemed word had got out of his crazy behaviour and everyone in the airport had descended to find out if he would succeed in his quest to find the illusive Gabriella.

It was when he rounded the corner into a warm, cozy Starbucks that he found Gabriella curled up in one of the comfortable chairs fast asleep, her bags clutched close to her chest.

"Gabriella!" He called one last time, watching as she jumped from her sleep and looked towards the source of the noise.

Tears welled up in her eyes once again; but this time it wasn't because of fear, it was because of pure and total happiness.

Thousands of miles above the earth she had convinced herself she would never see Troy ever again. But here she was; running towards him at full speed, not caring that she had left her bags unattended, just needing more than anything to be securely in his arms.

As their bodies collided in a tight hug, nothing else around them mattered. The hundreds of people disappeared into nothing; the noise around them seemed to fade away.

They were together and they were safe.

Arguments were forgiven, whispered apologies were spoken but neither cared. They made silent promises to each other never to argue again, never to leave on another again and never to take each other for granted.

It had taken this for them to realize that absence makes the heart grow fonder, for them to realize that what they had was too special to be lost.

They vowed in that moment never to spend a single day apart again.

**Fin**


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